Chicago is a great food city, but it's not often that you find Nepali, barbecue and Vietnamese lunch options within walking distance from one another. That will change next month, when Dr. Murphy's Food Hall debuts, bringing a multi-cuisine, 12-stall food hall concept to the redeveloped Cook County Hospital in the Illinois Medical District.
A venture of chef Akhtar Nawab—most notably behind the Mexican restaurants Alta Calidad in New York and Otra Vez in New Orleans—the new food hall is named for John B. Murphy, a leading surgeon who worked and taught in the former hospital. The hall's 10,000-square-foot digs complement the Beaux Arts-style building and include an outdoor patio and bar area in addition to its mix of food stalls.
Among the vendors, Chicagoans will recognize Logan Square's Passion House Coffee and Jarabe, the Mexican restaurant located nearby in the medical district. A few places, such as the dumpling-slinging Kathmandu Momo Station originally from Omaha, Nebraska, are transplants; and others, like the Chicagoland barbecue truck Lexington Betty, will launch their first brick-and-mortar ventures in the hall. Notably, nine of the stalls are POC- and/or women-owned.
The first business its kind in the city's hospital-dense medical district the food hall is part of a greater $1 billion revitalization project of the historic Cook County Hospital Building.
Dr. Murphy's will open its doors to the public on August 3. In the meantime, you can check out a full list of vendors—and some photos of tantalizing dishes—below.
Dr. Murphy's Food Hall vendors:
- Brekkie & Bake Shop
- Crockett Cookies
- Classic Cobbler
- Doc’s Bar
- Jarabe
- Kathmandu Momo Station
- Lexington Betty
- Lil’ Delta
- Maharani Indian Cuisine
- Ottobagatto
- Passion House Coffee
- Viet Nom Nom
Most popular on Time Out
- Movies in the Parks returns with a shortened summer lineup
- Chicago bars that don’t serve food will no longer be allowed to offer indoor seating
- 31 ways to still have an amazing summer in Chicago
- The 18 best outdoor restaurants in Chicago
- Dine and drink in a private greenhouse at this West Loop restaurant